Apparatus for defecation.



A. WEDDBRBURN.

APIARATUS FOR DEPEGATION.

APPLIUATION FILED AMJ-1, 1909.

1,052, 1 95. Patented Felfv 4, 1913.

nugntoz Aug usfus Wedderburn. Q/inmoeo COLUMBIA PLANouRAPH co.. wAsmNG'romnl c..

UNITED STABS PANT FFIC.

AUGUSTUS VEDDERBURN, 0F VIENNA, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO DEMING APPARATUS COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORIORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR DEFECATION.

rosales.

To all yzr/zom Amay concern.'

Be itl known thatv I7 AUGUSTUS leunen- BL'RN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vienna, in the county of Fairfax and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Defecation, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for defecatioii; and it comprises a method of defecating sugar juices by heating the same under pressure after proper alkalization, releasing the pressure in such a manner as to cause the evolution of contained gases and thereafter separately collecting the clarified liquid and settled solids, such release of pressure being preferably done under more or less vacuum and the heat of the evolved vapors and gases being collected and utilized; and it also comprises an apparatus for defecating sugar liquids comprising means for heating such juices under pressure to produce defecatory actions. means for releasing the pressure in such manner as to cause contained gases to be evolved. means for separately withdrawing clarilied liquids and separated solids, and means for restoring the heat of the said gases and coevolved vapor to fresh liquid; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

The ordinary methods of defecating cane juice. sorghum juice. etc.. involve liming the j uicc to or bevond neutrality and hlting. More rarely. the juice is heated without the addition of defecating chemicals. In either event. at the boiling temperature a large portion of the contained albuminoids 'locculates or coagulates` giving a separat-ion of solids. Insoluble solids in the juice are entangled by and collected with this separated mattei'. lllhere. as is usually the case, the juice is also limed. a further amount of separation in the form of lime salts also takes place. In ordinary open tank defecation. entangled air. steam, etc., visually keep this separated matter floating as a blanket i of scum though there is usually also a deposit at the bottom of the tank.

ln the described operation. the separation of impurities is rarely so complete as is de- Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application led April 24, 1909.

Patented Feb. 42,1913.

Serial No` 492,009.

sired and it has long been proposed to facilitate such separation by raising the temperature of defecating by heating the sugar juice under pressure. This gives a better separation and the solids separated are in better physical shape for filter-pressing and the like. But it is found that it is often difficult to make a sharp separation in this way, the liquid being more or less turbid and frequently very much so while it is diflicult to collect the solids without also withdrawing an excessive amount of liquid. Turbid liquids going forward into the sugar house are undesirable for a number of reasons and itis of course largely the object of the defecating operation to produce clear liquids suitable for further operations in the sugar house. The separated solids do not settle as well as their specific gravity would indicate and are generally recovered distributed through a considerable bulk of liquid. This liquid must of course be recovered, and if this be done by filter pressing, as is usually the case, a pressure plant of undue size ii required.

Much of the difficulty I have found to be due to the temporary variations in pressure during the operation. In the original juice there is considerable dissolved air and gases and much entrained air is also always present. In heating the liquid under pressure, the excess of gases go int-o solution in a degree proportional to the pressure prevailing. Since this pressure is fluctuating from moment to moment under the periodical action of the pump feeding the superheater, under variations in heat supplied, etc., t-he solubility of the gases fluctuates simultaneously. In a temporary phase of relatively low pressure. dissolved gases are released in the form of excessively minute bubbles adhering to the solid bodies which act as nuclei, and these released bubbles are not always taken up in the next temporary phase of relatively high pressure. These minute bubbles adhering to the solid matters buoy them up and lower their specific gravity, rendering settling ditlicult. These fluctuations of pressure in the heating as a matter of fact keep the liquid stirred up. There is also an objectionable classification of impurities, the

tine .tibers always present in cane juice tendinny to rise and torni a blanket While slimier precipitated solids have .more tend ency to sinlt. The librous matter in subsequent operations should remain vvell mixed with the other impurities as it aids materialli7 in filtering'.

ln practice. the solids coming trom the superheater are t'ound to be permeated in.- timately with tine bubbles ot' `njas and vapor; aud it special precautions be not talten, the apparent specific gravity ot the solidsl as a vvhole remains much less than it should be. Ou standing'. the eas slowlyreleaseddteeping' the liquid more or less agitated and tur bid. This the reason tor the lacl( ot sharp sfqiaration in the described practice. lt has been proposed to discharge the liquid t'roni the superheater into tanks under pressure 'tor settling'. but this has not Worked ivell in practice. it being as ditlicult to prevent variations in pressure in the tanks as in the superluater ivhile removal ot' adhering' gras is not provided tor. Usually, the liquid is passed in a slow current through a tortuous circuit in the pressure tank, depciulence tor settlingl beine placed on the slowness oit the current. l3nt. as stated, good separation is not attainedA By the present invention the ,eases and vapors however may be positively removed 't'roin the de'lecated liquid and a Igood separation of solids thereatter attained. Pre't'erably this is done by simply reducing' the pressure and permitting' ebullition prior to settling'. Vremoval by violent agitation not so suitable since the solids are apt to be isliinedf'l in a way which interferes ivith e'ood settling' later. ln the present. invention therefore, I preteral'ily remove eases and vapors by a reduction of pressure prior to settling'`r discharging' the superhmited liquid from the dig'estcr into a chamber vvherein prevails a greater or less vacuum. Trlnder the `influence ot this vacuum` the air and ,eases present leave the liquid and the solids are treed ot adhering' bubbles. ln this sudden lowering` oit' pressure much ot the Water oit the superheated liquid also tlaslies into vapor, :torn'iine' steam and cooling' the liquid and the disengagement ot steam aids positively in disengaging the eases. Ritter exposure to the reduction in pressure With concomitant release oit eases, on again raising` the pressure, as by takine' trom vaeiunn to ordinary pressure, the liquid and the solids will separate sharply giving' a brie'ht, clear liquid with settled solids separating as a dense body or n'iake'ma containing comparativelyT little liq nor. The liquid may ot course be re-lieated to compensate ttor the drop in temperatrn'e. A. manina oiZ this character is easily and eeoi'iomically handled in a iilter press.

For the salte of economy the hot ,gases and vapors coming' troni the liquid in the reducu tion ot pressure may be used to heat cold liquids. the vapors beingl condensed thereby and the production oi' vacuum .tacilitated. For instance, the superheated airrhai'ned liquid may be discharged into a chamber provided with means tor producing vacuum therein and the vapors and eases Witluglraivn passed through a heat interchane'el.' to coinlense the Yvapors and to live up heat to a cold liquid. This condeni sation oit' the vapors aids in producing exhaustion in the Vvacuum chamber. The cold liquid heated by the vapors may very advautap'eously be the liquid going to the superheater. instead ot a heat interchane'er. a spray or jet condenser may be employed. The heat interchanger is, lloviever, convenient and useful. lin a typical installation. tor instance, the hot juice may be sent into a vacuum chamber, and the vapors and uf'ithdran'n from said chamber by a Wet vacuum pump. Between the pump and the vacuum chamber a simple t'orm ot heat interchanp'er may be located. Such heat interchanger may consist ol.I a nest ot tubes tln'oug'h which the vapors pass ivhile raiv juice to be heated passes around the outer side of the tubes, or the vapors may pass around the tubes and the liquid to be heated within the tubes it` desired.

ln the accompanying illustration. l have shou'n more or less diagrainmatically, certain embodiments ot apparatus elements Within the limits ot the described invention. ln this showing the figure is a vieiv partly in vertical section a nd partly iin elevation ot a typical apparatus.

ln the illustration, superheater 'L is shown as a simple tanlr provided with steam inlet and outletl 2 and and coil heater it. Juice, which may be either limed or unlimed. but preterably luned, coming` trom a suitable source such A through pipe 5 is delivered under pressure by pump 6 into conduit T valved at 8. This conduit delivers the juice under pressure into the superheater. A by* pass pipe 9 valved at l0 leads a determined portion of the juice around the heating' tubes lt of a heat exchanger 12. As shown, this heat exchanger is provided with headers 1 3 and l-'l in which the tubes are set. Pipe l5 returns juice troni the heat exchanger to the conduit leading' to the superheater. Super heated juice is supplied by conduit 16 into releasing' chamber 1T. As shovvn, this releasing' chamber is a closed tank with a coned bottom 1S. At its top it is connected to vapor line 19. leading` vapors to the heat interchane'or and through the tubes thereoi". The vapors condensed. in the heat interehanp'er are rei'noved troni its eoned bottoni. through outlet Q() by pump 21, Which may be any oli the ordinary types ot Wet7 air pump. The releasing chamber is provided with glass 2Q, and tloat- 2?. lhe lloat operates through suitable stuffing boxes and lever mechanism (not shown), levers 2l controlling a valve 25 in steam pipe 26. This steam pipe feeds pump 27, which withdraws 5 liquid from the releasing chamber through conduit. 2S, and delivers it through pipe 29 to a series of settling tanks 30.

As stated, the liquid cooled in the vacuum chamber may be ire-heated if desired, by any suitable means.

From the foregoing the operation of this structure is easily to be seen.

Raw juice which may have previously been treated with lime or with lime and other depurating chemicals. such as carbon dioxid. sulfurous acid, phosphoric acid, alum. sulfate of alumina, etc., is sent by pump 'G into the superheater 1. In the case of cane and sorghum juice this preliminary7 treatment may be, and usually is, a simple liming to neutrality, or on either side of neutrality as the operator may prefer. In the superheater the juice is exposed to high temperature and pressure. This temperature may be at any point above the boiling point of water which may be desired. A, temperature of 220O to 290O F. is suitable for most uses. In this superheater no evolution of vapor is permitted. Under the high temperature and pressure prevailing various reactions go on in the juice which result in the separation ot' impurities. Entrained air and gases in the liquid also dissolve to a large extent.y but, as stated. every Yariation in the pressure in the superheater results in some change in the proportion of dissolved to the entraned gases. A, temporary increase in pressure results in the solution of more gas and the reduction in pressure in the liberation of some. Because of the well known nucleus action the separation of gases by a temporary reduction of pressure is apt to take place tolerably uniformly throughout the mass of the suspended solids. The liquid leaving the superheater is therefore a mixture of liquid and air-buoyed suspended solids. The superheated juice leaving the superheater goes through pipe 16 into the releasing chamber. Under the influence of the vacuum therein prevailing the minute gas bubbles rise and are extracted. leaving` the solids with their natural specific gravity and inclined to settle. The release of pressure also causes steam to be evolved, which materially aids in the separation of the gases. Under the stated nucleus action the evolution of vapor is apt to take place in contact with the solids in the same way as the 60 stated evolution of gas bubbles. The vacuum in this chamber may be of any degree desired, but it is desirable that there should always be a pressure less than atmospheric.

This is for the reason that in subsequent-ly 65 treating the juice under atmospheric pressure to settle the solids there can then be no more evolution of gas or vapor. In passing from the exhausting chamber whatever the degree of vacuum therein, to atmospheric pressure there will be a rise in pressure so there will be no tendency for separation of gas in the settlers. The evolution of vapor takes place to an extent corresponding to the temperature of the liquid in the vacuum chamber. The mixture of vapor and gas passing off through 19 is cooled in. the heat interchanger and the steam converted into water. The condensation materially aids in the operation of the vacuum pump 21. The heat given up by the vapors and gases is transferred to the portion of juice by-passed through 9 and 15 and is utilized.

The mixture otl and vapor passing through 19 may of course be led into any other' form ot` condenser, such as a jet condenser or a barometric column, or it may be sent directly into the juice which is to be superheated and there condensed; but there is ordinarily no advantage in any of these procedures over that of condensing in the described heat-interchangier. The heat interchanger may of course be located at any point between the body of liquid in the releasing chamber and the vacuum producing means where it will cool the evolved gas and vapor coming from the body of liquid in such releasing chamber.

The flow of defecated liquid into the releasing chamber may be controlled by valve 31, which may be any form of reducing valve. The liquid may enter at any point in the chamber, but it is convenient to discharge it therein as shown. at a point about midway the heighty of the body of liquid therein. This allows the bubbles to rise therein without disturbing the body of liquid below the point of introduction and as the solids rise also to the surface, lose their gas and sink, they fall into this undisturbed body. The releasing chamber may advantageously be ather large, thereby atfording a sort of dominant pool. averaging out inequalities in the composition of the juice flowing in and also insuring that the body of liquid as a whole shall be fairly quiet.

From the foregoing it will be obvious thatin the present method, the gases and the solids are separately removed from the defecated liquid whereas in the methods ot' the prior art. the gas left the liquid in the same vessel in which the separation of solids was effected. The advantage of this difference is great.

The body of liquid in the releasing chamber is maintained at a constant level by the tloat valve 23 which governs the operation of the pump 2T by controlling' the steam feed thereof.

The mixture ot degasitied solids and liquid Withdrawn by pump 27 is sent through 29 into settlingY tanks 30. which are ot an ordinary type. In these tanks the solids, which per se are tree from gas are consideral'ily heavier than the liquid, settle quietly and easily to form a fairly concentrated magma which may be Withdrawn it'roin the coned bottoms ot the tanks and sent to any desired type of tilter. The claritied liquid drawn o'tl' from the settlingY tanks bright and clear and ready for evaporation. The settling tanks being under atmospheric pressure. no evolution of gas or vapor as bubbles can take place in a liquid which has been under vacuo at the same temperature.

ldlhile unlimed cane, sorghum and beet juice can bc treated in the snperheater With advantageous results, it is usually preferable to supply the. said superheater With juice u'hich hasl been treated with the ordinary detecating chemicals.

By the present method, the discharge trom the superliieater. containing grassy solids which `would tend to form a blanket, is exposed to a vacuum long enough to remove the gas and is then allowed to settle at the ordinary pressure; or, in other Words, there is an intermediate drop in pressure between the detecating and the settling' steps. It will be obvious that the same result. could be attained by releasing the del'ecated juice in a receiver atatmospheric pressure and then settling' under higher pressure. But there. is no special advantage in this modification; `it is usually more convenient to operate in the described manner. using more or less vacuum in the intermediate releasing stage.

One ot. the advantages ot the described process is that the solids are recovered from the settliiml tanks in excellent condition for filter pri-ssii'ig` or ban' jnessing. In cane and sorghum juice there is usually considerable fibrous mattei' which in the usual procedure tends to tloat more obstinately than the more slimy solids `lormed in the dctecation. 'Forming a blanket Which it is ditticult to beat down. And as these other solids tend more to sink. the settlinn's ultimately recovered are uneven in composition so that they do not filter or strain well, Qummine'up the filter cloth. Usingl the described degasitication. the cane liber and mechanical impurities are Well distributed throughout the bodv ot the sediments. so that such sediments press or filter Well. In treating` the juices under the present invention. about halt the filter-press capacity is required as compared with that necessary under the usual practice.

The superheater employed may be discontinuous in operation. treating successive bodies of juice7 or it may be, as shown, continuous. Return-flow types may be employed to economize heat7 but are hardly necessary since economy is given by the type shown7 part of the heatbeing restored to the juice and part. being used to produce evaporation in the releasing' chamber. Such releasing' chamber may in fact be considered. in the type shown, as performing the functions ot' an evaporator. This function may be developed, it desired, by providing the releasing chamber with heating` means such as a steam jacket or steam coils; or it may be made one of the effects of a multiple effeet apparatus. But this is hardly desirable since the separated solids tend to collect on heating elements and it is therefore preferable to postpone positive evaporation as distinguished from heating` until atter settling and sepa qatingthe solids from the clear liquid. With a simple releasing tank ot the type shown there is little chance ot.' clogging` and it can easily be blown clear from time to time. No removal of the solids from the .liquid should be attempted therein. it being' best to reserve this for the settling tanks proper. lVhilc the iirst portions of defecated juice run in may form a blanket.this is not oli' lasting' character and the eitllucnt trom the releasing tank is soon of the same average composition. as regards solids and liquid. as the material fed thereto. In the settling tanks. the etiluent displays no tendency to form a blanket, the bnoying' air and. gases having; been removed in the releasing' chamber. i

lhile other methods ot' detecating' may be employed upon the juice goingto the .superheater. simple liming is sufficient. The process also Works advantageously upon unlimed juice; but in general it is better to lime when using cane and sorghum juice, The temperature in the sunerheater may advantageously be around Q30@ to 235 F.. but small variations in temperature andv pressure are not injurious in the present method. In the releasing' chamber. a vacuum ot 5 or l0 inches is suliicient though higher vacua may be carried. Under this vacuum. a rapid cooling to the corresponding` temperature is etteeted. a cooling' which may be later obviated bv rie-heating; prior to settling'. rThe liquid in any event must be reheated tor subsequent evaporation.

That I claim is:-

l.. A defecatina apparatus comprisingf a iuice heater. a juice nreheater. a vacuum chamber and a settling chamber all pipe connected. means to supply juice thereto. and a valved bypass between the heater and nreheater. whereby a micdetermined unantity of the juice may be passed through the pr-eheater before entering' the juice heater. and means to heat the nreheater by vapors trom the vacuum chamber,

2. In apparatus for treating liquids carry- In testimony whereof, I aiiX my signature in the presence of Witnesses.

AUG. WEDDERBURN.

ing solids in suspension, a gas-eliminator comprising a closed tank having a liquidinlet and outlet and an outlet for fixed gases, means for maintaining a const-ant liquid level Within said tank, and a surface Condenser located outside of and in operative connection with said tank.

ltnesses WM. C. PATON, L. H. MEEKER.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

